Our main stories today: the latest Global Innovation Index ranks Switzerland the world’s most innovative country, the head of the UN Mission in DRC warns of a ‘deadly environment’ for health workers, UNICEF delivers cash for 9 million vulnerable Yemeni families, acting head of UNAIDS says battle against HIV/ AIDS is “far from over”.

Switzerland ranked as most innovative country

The World Intellectual Property Organization, WIPO, named Switzerland as the world’s most innovative country on Wednesday, during the launch of its latest Global Innovation Index, (GII) in the Indian capital New Delhi.

Following Switzerland in the rankings are Sweden, the United States, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. India has risen most in the rankings since 2018, jumping five places to fifty-second most innovative country.

The annual Index, which has been published for the last 12 years by WIPO, and a number of partners, is designed to help policy makers better understand innovation activity, which WIPO describes as a “main driver of economic and social development”.

The UN children’s Fund, UNICEF, has made unconditional cash payments to nearly nine million Yemenis to meet their urgent needs, as the conflict in the country enters its fifth year.

Vulnerable families reached by the Emergency Cash Transfer Project, receive the equivalent of around $30, helping them to cover basics such as food, health supplies, and education costs.

UNICEF has run the cash program since 2017, to support the poorest Yemeni families, whose situation has been made worse by the ongoing conflict.

In a statement released on Wednesday, UNICEF warned that the needs of Yemenis are “enormous”, and that much more needs to be done to alleviate the suffering of children, starting with an end to the war.

Ebola health workers in DRC face ‘deadly environment’

The problems of eradicating Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are not only medical, but also linked “to a variety of political and social factors”, the head of the UN mission in the country told the Security Council on Wednesday.

“Along with continuing high levels of community distrust around the response to the epidemic”, Leila Zerrougui - UN Special Representative and head of the UN’s Stabilization Mission (MONUSCO) - said that militants, including the ADF and Mai-Mai groups, have caused “a deadly environment” for the people working to counter the virus, “to the point of being specifically threatened and killed by armed groups”.

The briefing comes a week after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Ebola outbreak an international Public Health Emergency of International Concern, following a reported outbreak in the city of Goma, near the border with Rwanda.

No new Ebola cases have been reported outside of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the last week, but within the country, there have been 91 new cases of the disease, of whom some 75 have died. Since then, no new cases have been reported in Goma, or any country other than DRC.

Fight against AIDS is ‘far from over’

The battle against HIV/AIDS is being hampered by a false sense that it has already been won. In reality, says the head of the UN agency dedicating to tackling the virus, it is “far from over”

Gunilla Carlsson, the acting Executive Director of UNAIDS, says that if we forget about people at risk, such as intravenous drug users, men who have sex with men, and sex workers, “we will not solve the problem with the rise of new HIV infections”.

Speaking to UN News, Ms. Carlsson said that, although world leaders had signed up for “an AIDS-free generation by 2030” if we don’t walk the talk, “we might not get there”.

Liberia provides troops to UN Mali Mission

Liberia has formally agreed to send peacekeeping troops to the UN’s Mission in war-torn Mali.

The move is being seen as a significant transition for Liberia, which, for decades, was a host nation for ‘blue helmet’ peacekeepers, with a UN mission that was fully drawn down in March of last year.

The Liberian soldiers will join the 105-strong contingent of troops serving in the key Malian base of Timbuktu

The UN’s head of Operational Support, Atul Khare, said during the signing ceremony on Tuesday that "Liberia's path to peace demonstrates the clear positive impact of UN peacekeeping as a country that moved from conflict to stability and today is a key partner in assisting other countries in need".